Building a home theater system, need help!

[Mikel187]

Hello everybody,
I’m thinking about setting up a new surround sound system but I have always bought systems that were packaged together. I’m thinking about setting one up myself but I have some questions about if everything will work out together.
I think I’m going to get the Polk Audio RM85 5-Channel Home Theater System for my speakers. On the pulk audio site it says they are 8 ohms and 20-125 watts. RM85 5-pack - Satellites | Polk Audio®

The subwoofer I was thinking about was the Polk Audio PSW505 12-Inch Powered Subwoofer. Their site says it has 300 watts and a dynamic power output of 460 watts. PSW505 - Subwoofers | Polk Audio®

I was thinking about getting the Denon AVR-E300 for my receiver. The Denon website has the specs here. DENON US)

As I said I have always gotten surround sound systems that were prepackaged and never chosen all the pieces myself. I don’t know how to match up a receiver and speakers and a subwoofer. I have read a little about this but still don’t understand everything about this. I’m wondering if the amount of watts the speakers and subwoofer have should match up to the receiver exactly, or if the receiver should have at least or more power than the speakers have.
I was wondering if this setup would work together. I want to know if this receiver will work with the speakers and power them with the right amount of power without any problems or issues.
I was also wondering if the subwoofer would work with the receiver. With the subwoofer being powered, does that mean that the subwoofer completely powers itself and will work with any receiver that I can hook it up to, or do I have to be careful to match it up with something specific?
Thanks for any help!

 

[rojo]

Hey Mike, and welcome to the forum! That Denon AVR-E300 is a good choice. If you aren't opposed to refurb with a 1 year warranty, check it out on accessories4less to save a good chunk of money.

Re: speakers, what is it that makes that Polk set appealing? Do you dig the wife acceptance factor of diminutive speakers? Or is it the convenience of one stop shopping? Have you listened to them in a store and you liked them? What's your budget for your receiver and speakers with sub? Can you describe the room (dimensions, flooring, etc) in which you're going to be setting up your home theater? Would assembling and finishing your own cabinets from a kit be of possible interest to you? Where are you located?

Matching the front left, center and right speakers for timbre is a good idea. The surrounds and subwoofer don't have to match the rest, though. Devote the biggest effort on your LCR, and the other speakers can be an afterthought.

That Polk PSW505 looks like a pretty good bargain on Amazon. $200 for a 12-inch 300W RMS sub is pretty good. I haven't heard it, but the reviews on Amazon seem pretty favorable. The only critical reviews I read dealt with lemons that were pretty easily resolved with warranty replacements, and all was fine in the end. That's not to say there aren't better bargains to be had; but for less than 400 bucks you probably won't find much better (unless you come across a bargain on Craigslist).

 

[zieglj01]

What is your max budget for new system.

Do not get carried away with subwoofer watt specs - some better
subs can have less watts, and will out-perform some subs with so
called high wattage performace

I would look at some different subwoofers, if budget permits.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Based on these components - your budget is at-least $700 - Can It be stretched to a $1000 ?
the difference would be pretty drastic at this price point

For 1k - Denon E300 from A4L - $200
2 pairs of these - Pioneer SP-BS22-LR Andrew Jones Designed Bookshelf Loudspeakers | Amazon price tracker / tracking, Amazon price history charts, Amazon price watches, Amazon price drop alerts | camelcamelcamel.com - wait unless next sale for $90/pair - total $180
a matching center -http://camelcamelcamel.com/Pioneer-SP-C22-Designed-Channel-Speaker/product/B008NCD2EI?context=browse - very often at $70
sub total for 5.0 + avr = $450
This leaves you with $550 budget for a nice sub - like SVS PB1000

 

[Mikel187]

My name is Michael, and I live in Utah. The room I have my TV and current set up in is 10’x25’ with a 7’ ceiling, and also has my desk and computer at one end. I would not be using the whole space for my theater area, I am also going to clean up and rearrange the room so the theater area will be about 10’x15’.

I was thinking about pulk audio just because I have heard some good things about the stuff they make. I had also been thinking about Pioneer, and had looked at the Pioneer SP-BS22_LR. I was thinking about the setup I mentioned because the speakers were prepackaged and I don’t know that much about setting up any of this on my own. I would like to have all the speakers to be made by the same manufacturer if possible even though I know that may not be necessary.

Looking around a little bit more I saw the Pioneer SP-PK52FS 5.1 Home Theater Speaker Package, I am now thinking more about this with either the Denon AVR-E200 or the AVR-E300 for my receiver. Would there be a big difference between these two receivers or would that me a minor thing. Also what would be so different between the polk audio set up and the pioneer setup, quality and life time of the speakers, sound quality or something else? Would it be better to get the pioneer setup with the tower speakers or just two sets of the bookshelf speakers with a center speaker to match? Would it be best to get a different subwoofer, reading the review of the system on the site it says the sub is kind of the low point of this setup. I would like to stay around $700 but could go to right around $1000 if there is the need, I want to keep it fairly affordable but also get the most bang for my buck.

I also need to know if the speaker options I have listed would work with the receiver, and how to match them up? I need to know if I have to worry about all the specs of the subwoofer, or if anything I end up choosing will work out. That’s another reason I was thinking about a prepackaged setup. I don’t want to buy things for a setup and find out they won’t work because the watts or ohms don’t match up, and like I said I’m in the first steeps of learning about this stuff, still a complete novice.

One more question I have is if I should buy a new Blu-ray player or media player of some kind or not. I will be using this mostly for my Xbox one playing games, also for music and movies. Should I get something else too or just have my Xbox as the media player?

Thank you guys for helping me out, like I said I’m a beginner and know next to nothing about this stuff but want to learn and want to make the best choices and not through away money on something that isn’t worth it, or isn’t good quality. Thanks again!

 

[Mikel187]

How would I make sure this set up would work, I'm not understanding how to match power ratings between speakers, subwoofers and receivers.

 

[BMXTRIX]

People over-think and under-think this stuff quite often. In this case you are over-thinking.

Speakers typically have a power rating. That's the MOST power that a speaker should be fed before it is damaged.
A/V receivers typically have a power rating. That's the most power it can deliver, steadily, without over heating.

At 'normal' listening levels, you will feed a speaker far less power than it can handle, and the receiver will be delivering far less power than it is capable of putting out.

If you like to crank it up loud, then you need to start thinking about things a lot, because you can't really get a lot of quality audio for a cheap price. You just spend a lot more, and you get a lot more. But, for a first time system, it doesn't matter that much. You just want the most your budget allows for. Go listen to speakers you can afford, and pretty much any entry level A/V receiver will drive those speakers at reasonable levels, and the A/V receivers will all sound very similar to each other. Denon, Marantz, Yamaha, Pioneer, Onkyo. They are all similar at the lower price points and have similar sound and build quality. Some give a few more features, some have a bit better build quality, but they all sound similar and are close.

Prepackaged systems don't add to the quality or ease of setup by much, if at all. You tend to get a bit more quality if you are willing to invest time into listening to speakers, and if you are willing to take some recommendations and look for sales. Some refurb or used items may offer a great deal more product and quality for the money if you want to go that route. For connectivity, you just need some speaker wires and a subwoofer (coaxial) wire. We are more than willing to help you buy the right wires. Worth saying that many home theater in a box kits use very low quality wiring, which you shouldn't really use anyway.

As for your sources, I think you should start with your XB1, and go from there. A good A/V receiver will allow you to add things moving forward, so you can wait and decide later if you are happy, or want something more.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

oh and don't worry about subwoofer power that much.. It has it's own amp so not related to power output of receiver.

 

[Mikel187]

Thank you guys for your help. I had no idea how to match the components and thought if they weren't matched they might not work together properly. I'll check with you guys later when I need to get some speaker wire and a cord so that I can make sure I get something that's high quality. Thanks for the tips!

 

[TheWarrior]

Michael, in addition to providing advice and fun pictures, this forum also serves to push the truth and legitimate research anywhere possible. As someone who is new to this hobby, I strongly recommend you get a first class education in sound design simply by reading the AV Research articles at the top. They are brilliantly written, and very easy to understand once you get in to it. Be fore warned that entering in to your first major surround sound transport (because thats what it does) can cause words like 'resistance' and 'ohm's to become more important than 'watts', confusing your friends, concerning your loved ones, and causing you to circle ever closer towards the drain of the Audioholic. And before long you'll be spouting off about capacitance and 'some guy named Henry' to your marriage counselor.

Welcome!